Electrical sound-producing system and apparatus.



E. E. CLEMENT.

ELECTRICAL souun PRODUCING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28 19H.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

E. E. CLEMENT. I ELECTRICAL SOUND PRODUCING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.28,19H.

Patented Sept. 12, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. CLEMENT, OF VJASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

ELECTRICAL SOUND-PRODUCING- SYSTEM AND APPARATUS.

Application filed August 28, 1911.

To all'wlwm it may concern Be it knownthat I, EDWARD E. CLEMENT, acitizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District ofColumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrical Sound-Producing Systems and Apparatus, of which the followingis a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanyingdrawing.

My invention relates .to resonating systems and apparatus, andespecially to such as employ horns, pipes and similar means forproducing more or less sustained vibrations in a column of air.

The object of the invention is to produce, first a self-containedoperative unit apparatus, and second a system of such units which may becontrolled by direct connection with electrical selective circuitsoperated in a suitable manner.

To attain my objects, I provide a pipe or born with an initial vibratorand a controlling devicefor the vibrator, mounted directlyon the horn orpipe so as to form. a self-contained, self-actuating unit, which needsonly electrical energization to throw into vibration the column of airin the pipe or horn,'. and continuously vibrate the same;

and Ithencombine a set'of these self-con-' tained unit pipes or horns,and connect them through electrical circuits with their proper selectivedevices and a source of current in a manner which will be hereinafterdescribed. The source of current may also if desiredfbe located in orcarried upon one of the units, together with a circuit controlvler, sothat the unit is not only self-contained and self-actuating, butportable. This application is a continuation in part of a priorcopending application, filed August 11th, 1905, Serial No. 273,799, uponwhich Let-- ters Patent No. 1,002,086 were granted to me August 29th,191

My invention is illustrated as to some of. its embodiments in theaccompanying drawings, wherein the same figures and letters of referencepoint out the same parts through-' out.

In the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 show the I applications of my inventionto megaphones or horns. Figs. 3 and 4 show details of the vibrator inFig. 2, on an enlarged scale.- Fig. 5 shows the invention applied to anor gan pipe. Fig. 6 is a modification of the Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Sept. 12, '1916.

Serial No. 646,553. I

same, showing an automatic vibrator reed for the working magnet. Figs. 7and 8 are diagrams showing vibrators controlled by" ing magnet W adaptedto vibrate the same.

Inside the angle of the frame is a small microphone M, which may well bea granular cell of considerable current carrying capacity. An extensionof the horn is shown at h containing a dry battery cell B, and bearingon one side a push button circuit closer h. The operation of this deviceis as follows: When the button is pressed to close the circuit, currentfrom the battery passes through the magnet Wand causes it to pluck thereed,'which reacts on the microphone, which causes repeated plucks andso on until the column of airinthe horn H is in full vibration. The reedand horn must be ap- A proximately in tune with each other, or at leastthe period of the hornvmust be so related to that of the reed that whenthe reed is vibrated it will throw into sympathetic vvibration thecolumn of air inv the horn,

which resonates as long as current is passing through the windings ofthe magnet W. When the sound is started and the microphone is working atits maximum the sounds of the voice in articulate speech may be su whichperforms the function of the micro-- phone of Fig. 1 replacing themultiple contacts of the microphonewith a single buzzer contact. Instartingup thesound in this of the horn,.and1 after the horn note isescase, the buzzer-action starts the vibration tablished it may takecontrol of the buzzer armature, which vibrates in unison With it.

As a commercial product this form of the invention can be made verycheaply as a device for making a noise, and as a signal. The details areshown in Figs. 3 and 4. The magnet W has an armature support consistingof a punched copper or brass plate extended out at one end and securedto the armature spring by the rivet w". The two cores of the magnets areriveted directly to the side of the horn with or without an in terposediron piece, depending on the material and thickness of the horn; and thearmature w which constitutes both reed and circuit controller, isriveted to the spring w, whose end normally engages the platinum pointof the screw 'w in the yoke w, which is carried on the insulated head ofone spool. VThile I have not shown a mouthpiece with this form of horn,it can be used therewith.

Figs 5 and 6 show my invention applied to the sounding of organ pipes.Fig. 5 shows a pipe P with the usual embouchure p, which for the purposeof this invention may be any form of aperture, outside which a reed 0.0is mounted on the bracket or frame w, which carries also the magnet W,placed so as to act upon the reed. The microphone M is attached to thelower end of the pipe, and a circuit is provided including key Kandwires 1, 2, 3 and 5. The operation of this form is substantially thesame as those I have been describing, the reed starting a flutter in thepipe, whichbeing taken up and resonated in the pipe causes a constantaction and reaction in unison, which maintains the sound full and rich,and of a strength depending upon the battery supply.

Fig. 6 shows a pipe similar to that of Fig. 5, fitted with the form ofvibrator shown in Figs. 3 and L The magnet W is carried on its bracketw,bolted to the lower end of the tube P, and the reed to with itsattached parts are the same as in the other figures previouslydescribed. After the reed starts to vibrating and the air in the pipehas taken up the sound and resonated it, the reed falls into unison withthe pipe even if it were not previously exactly so.

Instead of the simple key shown in Fig. 5, I may also employ perforatedstrips of paper somewhat. similar to pneumatic controller strips. Suchan arrangement is illustrated in each of the diagrams Figs. 7 and 8, andI shall claim the same in combination with the other elements of theinvention, as I consider it of value whereit is desirable to get acontinuous tone by electrical control.

By electrical control I mean the application of energy to thesoundingbodies electrically, and the control of the same by circuit closers. Inapplying the paper strip principleI perforate a paper in linescorresponding in their spacing to the distances between the set ofcontact springs connected in place of the keys K to the magnets. Thesprings rest on a common return metal plate or drum and the paper stripisfed along under them. As each per oration comes under a spring thelatter presses through into contact with the roller or plate beneath andso closes the circuit of its magnet. The regulation of the speed of therolls, and the provision of extra perforations and extra springs forstops and other ancillary mechanism are all included in the scheme. Iprefer to run the mechanism for the rolls by means of a small electricmotor, so that the control and regulation of the entire mechanism may beuniform.

In the claims I shall make use of several broad terms such as initialvibrator to indicate the reed or armature of the electromagnets;resonator or like term to indicate the resonant body of air or the hornor pipe; and circuit controlling and variable resistance device toindicate a microphone or a pair of contacts cooperating with andreciprocally controlled by the electromagnet of the vibrator.

Many modifications might be resorted to without departing in. any wayfrom the spirit or scope of the invention and all such are includedwithin the purview of the appended claims.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is:

1. In a system of the class described, a plurality of tuned pipes orhorns, individual electromagnetic vibrators each mounted upon one ofsaid tuned pipes or horns and forming therewith a self-contained unit,and each selectively and exclusively controlling its own pipe or horn, abranch electric circuit for each vibrator, a source of current in thecommon part of said branches, and selective circuit closing means forsaid branch circuits, additional to the vibrators.

2. In a system of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofself-contained sounding units, each comprising a tuned resonating pipeor horn, with an electromagnetic vibrator mounted directly thereon andcarried thereby, a plurality of branch circuits each including one ofsaid vibrators, a source of current common to said circuits, and meanscommon to all the vibrators for controlling them selectively.

3. In a system of the class described, a plurality of electricallyenergized, self-contained sound-producing units tuned to furnishdifferent notes in a musical scale; each comprising an initial vibrator,electromagnetic means for actuating the same, circuitcontrolling meansfor said electromagnetic means; and a resonator in acousticcommunication with the initial vibrator and tuned so as to amplify thesound produced thereby,

said circuit-controlling means being responually and selectivelycontrolling the several sive to the vibrations of said vibrator torenc1rcuits. 10 der its action continuous; means for sup- I In testimonywhereof I affix my signature plying current to the several units; all inin presence of two Witnesses. 5 combination with a plurality of branchcir- EDWARD E. CLEMENT.

cuits each including one of the several units, Witnesses: and meansadditional to the circuit-control- W. B. AGKER, ling means of theseveral units, for individ- FLORA RAYMOND.

